Wednesday, August 5, 2009 |
Ariel by Sylvia Plath |
Stasis in darkness. Then the substanceless blue. Pour of tor and distances.
God's lioness, How one we grow, Pivot of heels and knees! -- The furrow
Splits and passes, sister to The brown arc Of the neck I cannot catch,
Nigger-eye Berries cast dark Hooks -- Black sweet blood mouthfuls, Shadows. Something else Hauls me through air -- Thighs, hair; Flakes from my heels.
White Godiva, I unpeel-- Dead hands, dead stringencies.
And now I Foam to wheat, a glitter of seas. The child's cry
Melts in the wall. And I Am the arrow,
The dew that flies Suicidal, at one with the drive Into the red Eye, the cauldron of morning. |
posted by Sailing Hippos @ 12:47 PM |
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Wednesday, July 22, 2009 |
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the fact that you can not distinguish
between
right and wrong
between
truth and deception
damns you to roast like meat on a rotisserie
merciless to the stake driven through you.
that turns, turns, turns.
you are meat. stretched out beaten bloodless and flat and BRAINLESS.
Cooked.
mmm...
how delicious.
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posted by Sailing Hippos @ 4:33 PM |
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Monday, July 13, 2009 |
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sit stand obey command. you are Mechanized and automated and disposable.
sit. i said sit, dammit.
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posted by Sailing Hippos @ 2:03 PM |
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Thursday, July 2, 2009 |
It's been forever children! |
I know we only have probably 0 viewers, but I still feel like I have failed with this blog. Honestly, I've always wanted to have a blog, hoping to share my thoughts and experiences with people. I haven't done that. Mostly because of the fear of being judged. For many humans, it almost seems as if being judged is the worst; but how can we not expect it in return if we do it unto others? Quite frankly, if we did not evaluate someone's opinions and personalities, we couldn't build relationships with them. That right there is me convincing myself to be open. :)
Overall, I'm sorry.
Today, while I was straightening up my room I realized something. Cleaning is relaxing. I decided to share this thought with Katherine (Katy) by calling her up. She agreed. It was so strange because I remember growing up and HATING the redundant movement of putting things away. This day was the turning point in that opinion. Because for once I realized that I wasn't only doing physical cleaning--I was cleaning out my mind from the thoughts that unfortunately polluted my mind. I thought about the people I love without falling asleep like I usually did late at night. I prayed for random things. Like writers who don't make any money. For the parents who had stayed up all night waiting to hear their teen walk through the door.
These times are difficult, and as they grow harder, so do our hearts. Why can't we smile? Too often do I see people with wrinkled brows from worry. People have staggered back in surprise from my warm hellos as I pass them by. It was unexpected. The expected is to walk by with averted eyes and hands in pockets. I've seen young couples strangle their dogs away from me in the parks. They do not want to mingle. Their dogs, choke themselves as they try to sniff me, try to see what I am about. It is true, my fellow readers, that people do not care. At least the majority. What gets in the way? Pride? Fear of rejection?
Next time you see a homeless person, give them money. So what if they spend it on drugs or alcohol? It's their choice, it is also your choice to give them support. To give them a second chance in choosing the right thing to do. You made the choice to care. So care. And clean your rooms. It helps.
Love, Marina
P.S. Sorry if this is erratic, it's late.
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posted by Sailing Hippos @ 12:05 AM |
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Sunday, May 17, 2009 |
Yay! New Post! |
I got to experience that! It's real water! I went to Europe this summer, and it was beautiful. I know it's really boring, but I'm getting harrassed by someone (*cough*ben*cough*) because I don't put anything up here.
Love, Marina
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posted by Sailing Hippos @ 8:10 PM |
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Saturday, May 16, 2009 |
The Road |
The Road by Cormac McCarthy is an amazing book. Read it. Please, please, please, please. |
posted by Sailing Hippos @ 8:09 PM |
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Sunday, May 10, 2009 |
For the Sake of Dormancy |
The blog's been pretty inactive. Rather depressing. I think that people should post things on here more often. I'm tired. So I'm going to sleep. Have a wonderful day, audience of two readers. |
posted by Sailing Hippos @ 10:20 PM |
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Tuesday, April 21, 2009 |
Since We Haven't Posted Anything in Forever... |
I'm going to put a boring poetry analysis essay on here (poem by Sylvia Plath included of course)! Don't read it. You'll regret your time spent in nerd world.
Fever 103° by Sylvia Plath
Pure? What does it mean? The tongues of hell Are dull, dull as the triple
Tongues of dull, fat Cerberus Who wheezes at the gate. Incapable Of licking clean
The aguey tendon, the sin, the sin. The tinder cries. The indelible smell
Of a snuffed candle! Love, love, the low smokes roll From me like Isadora’s scarves, I’m in a fright
One scarf will catch and anchor in the wheel, Such yellow sullen smokes Make their own element. They will not rise,
But trundle round the globe Choking the aged and the meek, The weak
Hothouse baby in its crib, The ghastly orchid Hanging its hanging garden in the air,
Devilish leopard! Radiation turned it white And killed it in an hour.
Greasing the bodies of adulterers Like Hiroshima ash and eating in. The sin. The sin.
Darling, all night I have been flickering, off, on, off, on. The sheets grow heavy as a lecher’s kiss.
Three days. Three nights. Lemon water, chicken Water, water make me retch.
I am too pure for you or anyone. Your body Hurts me as the world hurts God. I am a lantern——
My head a moon Of Japanese paper, my gold beaten skin Infinitely delicate and infinitely expensive.
Does not my heat astound you! And my light! All by myself I am a huge camellia Glowing and coming and going, flush on flush.
I think I am going up, I think I may rise—— The beads of hot metal fly, and I love, I
Am a pure acetylene Virgin Attended by roses,
By kisses, by cherubim, By whatever these pink things mean! Not you, nor him
Nor him, nor him (My selves dissolving, old whore petticoats)—— To Paradise.
Analysis!
Suffering purifies. The evil that the world inflicts upon its inhabitants ultimately cleanses them of their sin. In Sylvia Plath’s poem “Fever 103°,” the world’s misdeeds sanitize the speaker of her iniquities and grant her heavenly salvation. Earthly suffering brings purification and eternal redemption.
The first half of “Fever 103°” details the worldly evils that have befallen the speaker, and the second half describes her resulting purification. Plath connects a section of suffering to a later section of sanitization by using similar language to describe each. “Darling, all night/ I have been flickering, off, on, off, on./ The sheets grow heavy as a lecher’s kiss.” (lines 28-30) Plath’s imagery evokes not only the horror of the fever, but also tangentially brings into focus adultery and betrayal with the inclusion of “lecher’s kiss,” as she speaks to her “Darling.” However, her cleansing eclipses this suffering. “Does not my heat astound you! And my light!/ All by myself I am a huge camellia/ Glowing and coming and going, flush on flush.” (lines 40-42) She again addresses her “Darling,” but now free and washed. She ceases to flicker on and off, and transforms into an astounding light of purity. She is no longer bedridden and constrained by the heavy sheets of sin, but is a huge, shining camellia. The linguistic similarity between “flickering, off, on, off, on” and “glowing and coming and going, flush on flush” again reinforces her refinement into purity. Enduring evil on Earth washes people of their sins and brings them to salvation.
Plath also uses objects as symbols to connect worldly misery with cleansing and salvation. “The aguey tendon, the sin, the sin./ The tinder cries./ The indelible smell// Of a snuffed candle!” (lines 7-10) The speaker is the snuffed candle. The flame of her love and purity has been extinguished by the world’s sins against her. This affliction grants her redemption, though. “I think I am going up,/ I think I may rise…// I am a pure acetylene/ Virgin/ Attended by roses,// By kisses, by cherubim.” (lines 43-44, lines 46-49) She, the snuffed candle before, is now a pure acetylene. The suffering that she endures purifies her and sanctifies her, for she is now “going up” with cherubim as a newly washed virgin. Earthly anguish sanitizes and redeems those who experience it.
Plath relates worldly torment to divine sanctification with sound repetition as well. “Love, love, the low smokes roll/ From me like Isadora’s scarves, I’m in a fright// One scarf will catch and anchor in the wheel.” (lines 11-13) The alliteration of “L” and the assonance of “O” throughout the lines add menace to the speaker’s affliction—the world squandering and destroying her love, anchoring her in misery, and holding her back with her struggles and sin. The misery inevitably redeems her. “ [As she rises to Paradise] Not you, nor him// Nor him, nor him/ (My selves dissolving, old whore petticoats)—/ To Paradise.” (lines 51-54) Plath again gives “O” assonance to connect it with the speaker’s previous suffering. The repetition of “not you, nor him” signifies that she is leaving behind all her sin and suffering as she ascends to heaven. The juxtaposition of the catching of the scarf on the wheel versus the shedding of the whorish petticoats also signifies her victory over torment and desolation. Worldly grief washes people’s sin and grants them divine redemption.
Sylvia Plath’s bleak optimism in “Fever 103°” parallels with Anne Sexton’s poem “All My Pretty Ones.” Sexton’s discusses forgiveness of grave offenses, and Plath’s, again, is about the redemptive power of suffering. Plath lived an unbelievably anguished life. Her father died when she was eight, and she suffered from manic depression and mental illness for the rest of her life. Her husband cheated on her and left her. “Fever 103°” encapsulates all of her torments, but it also offers hope to all those who suffer—that the misery people experience will ultimately bring eternal happiness and salvation.
Benjamin! |
posted by Sailing Hippos @ 7:43 PM |
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Wednesday, April 8, 2009 |
Top Ten Books |
Another list! These are the best books I've read in the past one to two years. I know the audience of four readers is brimming with excitement. These rankings are subject to change, as always.
10. The Green Mile-Stephen King King's mastery of dark, miserable setting is fully exemplified in The Green Mile. The nature of sacrifice, societal pressure, and justice are all questioned and explored. It's a fascinating glimpse into the day to day life of those on death row. It details the double-sided reaction to every great person. 9. The Count of Monte Cristo (Abridged)-Alexandre Dumas The Count of Monte Cristo is the definitive revenge novel. Those that enjoy watching one man destroy the lives of many, look no further. Ultimately though, Dumas proves that no man is righteous or powerful enough to control his fate--or another's, in the Count's case. 8. His Dark Materials-Philip Pullman Ok, I cheated, this is a series. A great one, though. Pullman's stunning, parallel-universed fantasy is perhaps the most controversial work in the past two decades. Even if you disagree with Pullman's opinions (which I do, mostly), it's still a fascinating and spellbinding read. 7. The Old Man and the Sea-Ernest Hemingway The Old Man and the Sea is generally regarded as the pinnacle of modern-era prose. Hemingway's concrete imagery and, as always, stellar dialogue distinguish his style from any other author's. The endless struggle for victory and the inevitablity of defeat are flawlessly compared and intertwined. A must read. 6. Of Mice and Men-John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men is the story of two laborers' pursuit of the American dream in California. United by friendship and a common ambition, Lennie (a mentally retarded man) and George (Lennie's only friend and caretaker) work to own a farm. The ending is brilliant and sad. That's all I'll say about it. 5. A Thousand Splendid Suns-Khaled Hosseini A nice break from American classics in the list here. Hosseni's greatly ambitious project of narrating from two Afghani women's perspective is marvelously done. He is the most emotionally manipulative author I've read. A Thousand Splendid Suns offers hope to all those estranged in the travesty that is modern-day Afghanistan. 4. The Catcher in the Rye-J.D. Salinger The Catcher in the Rye is hilarious, depressing, and profound at the same time. Salinger's narration and authorial voice are utterly unique. It is a perfect rendition of the disillusionment and resulting all-encompassing cynicism that comes with maturation. 3. The Great Gatsby-F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby is the American novel. Aspiration, the quest for wealth and happiness, the pursuit of the American dream--it's all here. Fitzgerald's masterpiece is nearly flawless. I love it. 2. The Crucibile-Arthur Miller The Crucible is actually a play. It is Arthur Miller's stab at a Communist witchhunting America in the 1940s. It is a mesmerizing look into redemption, self-righteousness, greed, hypocrisy, and the connotations of being a hero. The climax is my favorite of any that I've read. 1. East of Eden-John Steinbeck East of Eden is a spectacular retelling of the first two chapters of Genesis. The battle of good vs. evil in all people, the results of rejection, and the redemptive power of love are all explored. A true thinking-man's novel. (On a side note, Steinbeck creates one of the greatest villains in literature with Kate.) |
posted by Sailing Hippos @ 8:56 PM |
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Monday, April 6, 2009 |
Picture/Poem When We Feel Like It #4 |
The Rainy Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The day is cold, and dark, and dreary It rains, and the wind is never weary; The vine still clings to the mouldering wall, But at every gust the dead leaves fall, And the day is dark and dreary.
My life is cold, and dark, and dreary; It rains, and the wind is never weary; My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past, But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast, And the days are dark and dreary.
Be still, sad heart! and cease repining; Behind the clouds is the sun still shining; Thy fate is the common fate of all, Into each life some rain must fall, Some days must be dark and dreary.
Labels: http://media.photobucket.com/image/rain/findstuff22/Best%20Images/Photography/umbrella-11.jpg?o=1 |
posted by Sailing Hippos @ 2:00 PM |
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Harry Potter Pick-up Lines; the best of the best |
I want to get my basilisk into your chamber of secrets.
You know, Hagrid's not the only giant on campus.
Wanna make some magic together? My wand is at the ready.
I've been whomping my willow thinking about you.
Do you know the Petrificus Totalus spell? Because you make me stiff.
I'm not an Animagus but sometimes I can be real animal.
You know Platform 9 and 3/4? Well I know something else with the same exact measurements.
A couple nights with me and Moaning Myrtle will have to get a new nickname.
You look like you'd be a good Quidditch player. Want to ride my broomstick?
Want to head to the Shrieking Shack? We could do some shrieking of our own.
The thought of you makes something vast and silver erupt from my wand.
Is that a wand in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?
I don't have any muggle money, but I do have a sickle and two knuts.
Are you speaking parseltongue? 'Cause you're talking to my snake.
I'm goblin. Let me stroke your vault.
You're like a bottle of Skele-Gro: growing me a bone.
I can be your house elf. I'll do whatever you want and I don't need any clothes.
How do I get into your Department of Mysteries?
Why don't you come tame my dragon?
I'm just like Oliver Wood, baby... I'm a keeper!
Engorgio! Oh wait I don't need magic to enlarge this!
Yeah girls call me "Aguamenti." Everytime they hear my name, they get wet.
It's a portkey.... once you touch it, it will take you somewhere you ain't never been before.
Want to learn to speak troll? I can get you grunting in no time.
Labels: http://humor.sportse.org/funny-harry-potter.jpg |
posted by Sailing Hippos @ 1:57 PM |
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Saturday, April 4, 2009 |
Things We Love |
1. Writing-short stories, longer than short stories, crappy poems
2. Reading-everything that is good. Reading bad stuff is undesirable.
3. Music-music is spectacular. I like everything except Country and made-for-radio Hip-Hop.
4. Theater- I just did my first play, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Do it if you get the chance.
5. Notre Dame-the greatest football team in the world! (Okay, maybe not. They aren't very good. But I still go for them.)
6. New York City-the greatest place in the world.
7. Columbia University-my dream school, located in the middle of the greatest place in the world.
8. The sea and the beach-enough said
9. Movies-I like watching them when they are good. Bad movies are bad.
10. Computers-they make life so much easier.
21. Honesty
22. Chapstick
23. English class!
24. Fall
25. Laughing
26. England-the British do everything better!
27. Popsicles
28. Louisvile...anything that has to do with the city, the sports teams, etc.
29. Not wearing shoes
30. Comfy clothes
Ben, Marina |
posted by Sailing Hippos @ 8:49 PM |
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Wednesday, April 1, 2009 |
Happy April Fool's Day! |
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posted by Sailing Hippos @ 10:57 AM |
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Things We Hate |
1. When it rains on the beach.
2. When the stars are covered by clouds.
3. When sickeningly overweight people wear ultra tight, skimpy clothing.
4. When men wear ultra tight, skimpy clothing.
5. When Notre Dame loses.
6. Country music
7. When little sisters jump on you to wake you up at seven in the morning for the sake of self-entertainment.
8. Stupid people
9. Bad writing (much like this list and blog)
10. When people type like this on text messages "hye ow r u? wuts pu?" Seriously. Take some time, and use proper English.
11. When Louisville loses.
12. When people in the hallways walk really slowly, and don't even consider the people behind them trying to get somewhere before the world ends.
13. When you lose your favorite pens.
14. Papaya.
15. Those stupid, stripper, fake boobed girls they put on every reality show.
16. Ugly hair.
17. Eye boogers.
18. Fat.
19. Menstrual cycles.
20. Really squeaky pencils while you're taking a test.
Ben (edited by Marina)
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posted by Sailing Hippos @ 10:47 AM |
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Sunday, March 22, 2009 |
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Note: These are not good.
abuse
ice blue caps of little shadows lick one finger and the next will be bitten
bloody rivers drown scrawny trees that wave like hidden spider webs
footsteps trod on feet repeat step two, but only once
crack walls with your knuckles and hang your red eyes on the wall
for they must not be forgotten
4
1plus1makes2 but for me it makes one
- Marina Petrovic
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posted by Sailing Hippos @ 4:37 PM |
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Wednesday, March 18, 2009 |
Snowflake |
Sitting at the window, I viewed…
A sporadic snow shower, Slowly weaving from Heaven to Earth,
Most landed together, In a lumped pile on the ground…
Save for one, gleaming crystal, Gliding up, down, and up… Molded, Buffeted by the winds of Fate,
Set apart at its very creation…
Spirited by Destiny, Brought to rest on a high, unreachable branch of the old Pine.
And there it sat, alone, gazing at its amassed brothers, Until the sun rose and melted it, Carrying it home to the Sky…
Ben |
posted by Sailing Hippos @ 3:44 PM |
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Saturday, March 14, 2009 |
Picture/Poem when we feel like it #3 |
My November Guest by Robert Frost
My Sorrow, when she's here with me, Thinks these dark days of autumn rain Are beautiful as days can be; She loves the bare, the withered tree; She walks the sodden pasture lane.
Her pleasure will not let me stay. She talks and I am fain to list: She's glad the birds are gone away, She's glad her simple worsted grady Is silver now with clinging mist.
The desolate, deserted trees, The faded earth, the heavy sky, The beauties she so ryly sees, She thinks I have no eye for these, And vexes me for reason why.
Not yesterday I learned to know The love of bare November days Before the coming of the snow, But it were vain to tell he so, And they are better for her praise.Labels: http://media.photobucket.com/image/photography/Bellavita818/Photography/tree.jpg?o=67 |
posted by Sailing Hippos @ 11:01 AM |
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Monday, March 9, 2009 |
Poem/Picture when we feel like it #2 (the picture might not fit well) |
Cinderella The prince leans to the girl in scarlet heels,
Her green eyes slant, hair flaring in a fan
Of silver as the rondo slows; now reels
Begin on tilted violins to span
The whole revolving tall glass palace hall
Where guests slide gliding into light like wine;
Rose candles flicker on the lilac wall
Reflecting in a million flagons' shine,
And glided couples all in whirling trance
Follow holiday revel begun long since,
Until near twelve the strange girl all at once
Guilt-stricken halts, pales, clings to the prince As amid the hectic music and cocktail talk
She hears the caustic ticking of the clock.
-Sylvia Plath Labels: http://media.photobucket.com/image/photography/vavral2/photography/city5.jpg?o=127 |
posted by Sailing Hippos @ 12:58 PM |
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Sunday, March 8, 2009 |
Marina's Mood |
Barren Woman by Sylvia Plath
Empty, I echo to the least footfall, Museum without statues, grand with pillars, porticoes, rotundas. In my courtyard a fountain leaps and sinks back into itself, Nun-hearted and blind to the world. Marble lilies Exhale their pallor like scent.
I imagine myself with a great public, Mother of a white Nike and several bald-eyed Apollos. Instead, the dead injure me attentions, and nothing can happen. Blank-faced and mum as a nurse. |
posted by Sailing Hippos @ 9:26 PM |
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Let's Make Some Lists |
Okay, I'm going to try to make a list of, first, my ten favorite albums ever. This is subject to change, of course. 10. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not-Arctic Monkeys The Arctic Monkeys have a great distorted, garage sound and feel. They have pretty good lyrics, and discuss (though not particularly subtly) the prostitution problem in their hometown of Sheffield. Standout tracks are "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor," and "When the Sun Goes Down." 9. Elephant-The White Stripes Let's continue with the modern garage rock theme. Elephant is a stellar album. Jack and Meg White combine simple riffs and throbbing percussion into a superb product from start to finish. Jack's witty and clever lyrics add another dimension to the catchy sound. A couple of my favorites on the album are "Ball and Biscuit," and "Little Acorns." 8. Nevermind-Nirvana Behold the springboard of grunge rock. I play bass, so I'm naturally drawn to Nirvana's spectacularly easy and enrapturing bass riffs. Cobain's vulnerable vocals make the musical experience that much more personal. Get "Polly" and "Lithium," if you haven't already. 7. Forwards-The Egg Most likely you've never heard of this band. They are phenomenal. Their haunting, electronic sound are emotionally evocative and stirring. I honestly have no idea what they're singing, but the vocals layered with the techno makes for a relaxing and awesome listen. Download "Wall" and "Forwards." 6. Goldfly-Guster This was a tossup between Lost and Gone Forever, but Goldfly is a little more consistent throughout. Guster's folky, live sounding vocals and guitars are very bare and accessible. The percussion is what really stands out on Goldfly, though. Excellent drumming, especially in "Bury Me." Get "Grin" and "Demons." 5. Neon Bible-Arcade Fire This album is a conundrum. Every song in Neon Bible is a bleak, depressing view of humanity and the Apocalypse, but they perform them with a cheery, upbeat disposition. The juxtaposition is thrilling and intriguing to listen to. Download "Keep the Car Running" and "Intervention." 4. Ten-Pearl Jam Ten is the "pearl" of the 90s. That was a terrible pun. Laugh. Excellent, excellent, excellent lyrics in this album. Great, soaring guitar riffs. Enough said. "Alive" and "Black" are essential for anyone who actually likes music. 3. Grace-Jeff Buckley Jeff Buckley has one of the hugest ranges I've ever heard. He's probably my favorite vocalist. He also plays a sweet, sweet guitar. And, Grace also features some spectacular lyrics. Get "Last Goodbye" and "Lilac Wine," but preferably the whole album. 2. Rodrigo y Gabriela- Rodrigo y Gabriela This is the most listenable album in my library. R y G are the best guitarists I've seen. Gabriela plays rhythm and also plays the drums on her guitar. It's hard to explain. Rodrigo is an incredibly skilled lead guitarist. Watch them on YouTube. Must downloads are "Diablo Rojo" and "Tamacún." 1. OK Computer- Radiohead This was a really difficult choice. I couldn't choose between The Bends, OK Computer, and In Rainbows. OK Computer is the most innovative and emotionally touching of the three, I decided. The lyrics are the best I've heard. The guitar and the electronically produced sounds blend together perfectly. Thom's haunting vocals echo through the walls of the mind. Download the whole album.
Ben |
posted by Sailing Hippos @ 8:51 PM |
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About The Hippos |
Sailing Hippos
Louisville, Ky, United States
Marina-
Marina is kinda cool, it depends on if she is talking or not. She likes writing, and is really good at it, especially poetry. She sees people's auras, which is pretty awesome. However, don't piss her off, because then she can put a Bosnian curse on you. She also plays soccer, and is going pro at some point in her life.
Ben-
Ben is the runt of the Hippos. He's often picked on and abused by his "larger" siblings. He is amazing at everything he does, besides being nice, because he is an arrogant son of a hippo. He has an unquenchable thirst for water, which is good, because we live in water. He doesn't know how to put on eyeliner, but it doesn't matter...because he's a guy. We hope.
See my complete profile
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